New-York tribune., 1887-11-22
tion has survived the political vicissitu
tho Republic.
PROHIBITION IN ATLANTA.

PROHIBITION IN ATLANTA.
Prohibition has now had . two years trial IN
Atlanta, and next Saturday tho question Of its
continuance Is to be submitted to the voters Of
that flourishing city. At this moment there Is
in progress campaign which for earnestness,
not to say vehemcnce, exceeds the recent po-
litical carnage in this city, when all tho Demo-
cratic editors had their hands on each others
juguars and were doing their best to interfere
with each others calculations. The canvass In
Atlanta has its amusing side also. not in war
between newspapers, but in war within
newspaper. Mr.. Grady, one OF he editors OF
"The Constitution" is fiery ProhibiIionfst,
and Captain E. P. Howell, his colleague, Is an
untamed anti Prohibitionist. Both are men OF
marked ability, and effective orators, and both
arc continually making speeches. which are
rapturously reported in their newspaper with
sympathetic headlines. Mr.. Grady's meeting
is reported on the first page as "a grand out
pouringn and Mr.. HOwelPs. on tho fifth. as
"a grand gathering to protest against the ty-
'ranny of fanaticism." The paper is crowded
on every page with Prohibition and anti-Pro-
hibition appeals. statistics. arguments, letters,
In small type and big, every one OF which has
tho non-committal heading, communicated"
while the paper itself has editorially nothing
whatever to say on the subject. Probably
there never was an instance Of newspaper so
thoroughly divided against itself. 1t is one
of the amusing curiosities Of journalism.
The more serious side Of the canvass is, of
course, upon the issue as to the success OF the
Prohibition policy. On this point there is the
most conflicting testimony. The Prohibitionists
declare that It has not had fair trial, mas
much as unexpired licenses ran through one
year Of the two during which it has been in
force, and fines have been contested. and there
has been other legal resistance. The number
Of cases in the Justices court has been reduced
by 1856 annually, and the number Of criminal
cases by 431. The number of distress warrants
has been decreased. Meantime the city has
grown 10000 in population. Where there were
six loan and building associations there are now
fifteen. Four times as many houses were
bought in these two years as in the year 1885.
There are FIVE savings banks as against one.
and the banking capital has more than doubled
A million dollars, it is claimed, has been added
to the manufacturing capital. In the past two
years colored men are said to have invested
S04 900 in homes. Statements like these, if
accurate, are fair answer to the charge that
Prohibition is injuring the business Of the city,
but it would be unreasonable, of course, to claim
tnat this increased prosperity was the result OF
Prohibition, when it is obvious that many other
causes were at work.
Tho "antis." however declare not only that
the policy is more or less of a failure, but that
under it the city is losing ground. They charge
that people are leaving Atlanta by hundreds,
while Birmingham and Chattanooga are grow
ing miraculouAy There is great deal OF
testimony from business men that trade is bad,
lust as there is from other business men that it
was never so good MIR. Howell produced the
other night statement from Mr. Crenshaw,
Collector of Internal Revenue for Georgia, that
there are now moro than twice as many distll-
leries in operation in the State as there were
before Prohibition went into effect that the
production of corn liquor during October was
three times what it was during the same month
two years ago; that at least 95 per cent of the
iauor made is sold in Georgia. finding ready
sale; and that many of the dstilleries arc In
dry counties. To this Mr.. Howell added
statement showing that in the month OF October
81, 500 gallons of whiskey and twelve carloads
of beer were brought into Atlanta from various
quarters at a total cost of $142 ,OOO or at the
rate of more than 81, 100000 per annum. These
figures are considered startling in Prohibition
city. The contest is said to be close, but the
" antis' are confident of victory.